The Rohn family of Renata is among the Kootenay folk featured in a series of documentary shorts produced for the Knowledge Network that will premiere in Nelson this month.
Amy Bohigian’s Dreamers and Dissidents will screen on Thursday, May 28 at the Civic Theatre. Doors open at 7 p.m. for the 7:30 p.m. free public screening, with the filmmaker, broadcaster, and participants in attendance.
Directed and produced by Bohigian, the film’s crew was comprised entirely of local talent who used photographs pulled from family albums and local archives to tell the history of Nelson and the Kootenays.
From war resisters to prisoners of war, hopeful immigrants to urban refuges, Dreamers and Dissidents explores why certain people have made a home in this rugged interior of BC across the generations.
“The film provides insight into why the Kootenays is known today as a place with a resilient spirit where many of us find a strong and vibrant community,” Bohigian explains.
The Rohn family, among thousands of Kootenay residents displaced by construction of the High Arrow dam, are one of nine featured stories in the documentary.
“Knowledge Network’s collaboration with independent producers in BC has resulted in a memorable collection of stories about the history of the Kootenays that will resonate with audiences throughout Canada,” said president and CEO Rudy Buttignol.
Buttignol and Murray Battle, executive producer of the film and director of original content at Knowledge Network, will be in town for the premiere.
The last time they were in Nelson was for the filmmaker pitch session and competition, in which Bohigian’s project was chosen and commissioned by Knowledge Network.
Tickets for the premiere are free and available at civictheatre.ca. The broadcast premiere of Dreamers and Dissidents will be on BC Day, Monday, August 3 at 8 p.m. on Knowledge Network.